


Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

by Soawksahm (socawkSAHM)



Series: Nalu Week Oneshots [1]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/M, Nalu Week, slightly angsty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-02
Updated: 2016-07-02
Packaged: 2018-07-19 16:15:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7368721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/socawkSAHM/pseuds/Soawksahm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set a few months in to the year long timeskip.  </p>
<p>Prompt 1 of tumblr's Nalu Week:Longing</p>
            </blockquote>





	Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Lucy bounced in place, elated at her triumph. "I can't believe I finally did it! Virgo, this star dress is amazing!"

Virgo clapped with a pleased smile on her face. "That was lovely princess, a fitting punishment."

"That was mooarvelous Miss Lucy!" cheered Taurus. He struggled to pull himself to his feet, still slightly off balance from Lucy's last attack. He stared happily at her thighs and Lucy stopped jumping, then smoothed her dress the hide the tops of her legs from his creepy gaze. She'd let this one slide, Taurus did just take an extremely powerful Lucy kick.

This was the first time she had been able to maintain a star dress and use its power for a real attack. All her hard work was finally paying off! Virgo and Taurus were clearly delighted with her progress, but as they were typically her most enthusiastic fans, their praise just wasn't quite enough. It had been months now but Lucy still found herself missing a certain dragon slayer's input. She drooped, her thrill deflated, without his approval even this achievement felt diminished. Natsu's absence continued to be the gray cloud over every one of these training sessions.

Taurus limped her direction and grinned. "Just wait until you see mine Miss Lucy." He wiggled his brows, "I just know it will look udderly stunning on you!"

"I can't wait! Let's try in tomorrow," Lucy chuckled. "And thanks so much for coming and helping me train today!"

"No need for thank yous," Taurus put his lips right in front of her face, "but a smoooch would do!" He ignored the way Lucy grimaced and took a step back.

"Taurus! No smooches!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Should we punish him again princess?" Virgo offered.

Lucy ran a hand down her face, sometimes working with her spirits was like dealing with unruly children. "No, Virgo, no punishments!" She sighed and turned towards her other spirit. "Taurus, I think I'm done training for the evening. I need a break."

"Understood Miss Lucy," Taurus began fading away, "Until next time! Can't wait to see that ass in leather!"

"Taurus!" scolded Lucy. She sighed, that damn cow was incorrigible.

She felt a gentle tap on her shoulder. Virgo stared at her with a tilted head and tiny frown. "Suddenly the princess seemed sad, did my star dress not please her?"

"No Virgo, the dress is adorable, I like it, really," Lucy assured her spirit with a large smile plastered on her face. Actually, she felt the skirt was a little bit short, that coupled with it being a maid outfit, the dress bordered on inappropriate. At least it would distract any perverted opponents she might come across. She also had to admit the outfit was extremely nostalgic. She would never forget that mission with Natsu, and as feelings of longing for him returned, so did her frown.

Virgo held out her arms and dropped her head. "Please punish me mistress, something has made you upset. It must be my dress's fault."

Lucy sighed. "I'm not going to punish you Virgo, you didn't make me upset." She released the star dress, relaxing as the maid outfit faded away and was replaced by her regular clothes. Using this much magic was still so exhausting. It was going to take a lot of training to get to where she needed to be, to get to where she wouldn't be considered a burden.

Virgo tilted her head, "Ah, is the princess sad because she can't share this moment with her prince?"

"He is not my prince!" Lucy snapped. She turned her head and pouted. "Besides, I don't care that he's not here, it doesn't matter." Lucy's eyes widened in surprise when Virgo wrapped her arms around her and rested her chin on Lucy's shoulder.

"It's okay to be sad princess, it's okay to miss him," Virgo said softly, patting Lucy on the back.

Lucy smiled sadly, "Thanks Virgo. Really, I'm okay, you don't have to worry about me. I'm not upset about Natsu, he can do what he wants." She gently removed herself from Virgo's hold and smiled a little brighter. "Thank you for helping me train today! I've gotten so much stronger and it's thanks to your assistance. I just think I want to be alone now, do you mind if we pick this back up tomorrow?"

"As you wish princess," Virgo said with a bow. Then she closed her gate and disappeared.

Lucy sat down and hugged her knees to her chest. She still felt alone, terribly alone. Her spirits only provided her temporary relief. They were just visitors and try as she might she couldn't forget that. She loved them dearly but they didn't seem to fill the hole that her former teammate had left.

After Fairy Tail disbanded, many of her fellow guild members had offered her a place with them as they all parted ways to find new lives. Yet time after time, she turned them down, wanting to be present and available for when her prodigal partner returned. As each fairy tail mage disappeared, she became deeper and deeper entrenched in loneliness. Now she was so buried in sorrow, she wasn't sure that anyone else would be able to pull her out.

It was so strange how quickly the longing for Natsu could suck away Lucy's happiness. The magazine spread had meant nothing without him to share it with and that should have been her biggest success. Now she had achieved her first functional star dress and without his proud smile it felt like nothing. It was pathetic, she knew this, but being able to look at it rationally couldn't bring back her happiness. Knowing she was being silly seemed to only make her feel worse.

He was her family, he was her person, he was her best friend. He removed himself from her life so quickly it still felt like an illusion. As if this was just a bad dream and she would walk home and find his stinky feet peeking out from beneath her comforter.

How had she lived like this before? Was it just easier before she knew the warmth of companionship? After a year of Natsu's loyal presence, his absence was a dull ache that never left. She could distract herself for a little while but in the quiet moments, in the pauses, the pain would return. Reminding her that he had left her so easily. Reminding her that she hadn't been important enough to him for a face to face good bye.

The worst was the self-doubt that it had brought. She had finally become confident in her abilities as a mage, in her ability to be a full-fledged member of their team, and it was now ripped away. Maybe she hadn't really improved, maybe he actually did see her as a burden. Maybe every word of praise out of his mouth had just been lip service all along. Maybe all this time she had just been some elaborate joke to him. Why else would he desert her so easily?

The sun was starting to set, so Lucy pulled herself slowly to her feet and dusted off her rear to begin the long trudge home. She was tired of everything reminding her of Natsu, she couldn't escape him here. She could almost see him on her walk home, hiding behind a tree waiting to scare her, pestering her as she walked through the streets of Magnolia. She opened the door to her apartment and he was supposed to be on her couch, raiding her fridge, or stealing her bed. Yet he wasn't here, he wasn't where he belonged, and he wasn't going to be any time soon.

Lucy pulled the letter off the fridge, staring at the offer she had let sit for weeks. Maybe it was time to get in touch with Jason. There had to be something better than this existence. She would connect with him in the morning. It was time to move on and try to be happy again.

* * *

Natsu stared introspectively at the flames dancing in front of him. The sun set long ago and Happy lay passed out on the ground next to him, with a smile of his face and his tiny belly full of fish. Natsu wasn't smiling, with Happy asleep he no longer had to pretend. He stirred the fire and watched sparks explode from the cracking sticks but strangely it brought him no joy. It was becoming more difficult to find satisfaction in the little things these days.

He missed Lucy. Most of the time he could convince himself that leaving her behind was for the best, she was too much of a distraction. He needed to train, he needed to become the best, and she would probably hold him back. At night though, when it was quiet and he found himself drained from pushing himself to his limits, he couldn't believe his own lies. It was always more fun when they were together, being apart was misery.

He had been so obsessed with his search for Igneel that he hadn't realized how big a part of his life she had become. She had managed to sneak her way into his heart like no one else had been able to. He missed her smell, he missed her smile, he missed the way she turned bright red when he teased her, and he missed the way she'd curl into him unconsciously in her sleep. Natsu pulled at his hair and clenched his jaw, he missed all that was Lucy.

Still, wouldn't it be unfair to let her know his feelings? He wasn't even sure if he could give her any kind of future. His battle had just begun and there were no guarantees that he would make it out of all this alive. If he told her of his feelings and by some stroke of luck she felt the same, what good would it do? He knew all too well the pain of losing the ones you loved. If he became Lucy's special someone would he have the strength to do what he needed to do to gain vengeance for Igneel? Or would he just hold himself back, not able to make the sacrifice he needed to because it meant leaving her alone?

He stretched out and closed his eyes, he needed to sleep or daylight would take him by surprise. Natsu tried to think of anything else but all he could see was Lucy's golden hair and her pretty smile. The way she laughed at his nonsense, the clever quips at his ribbing, the way she believed in him like no one ever had before. For tonight he couldn't fight it, he was tired, he was sad, his longing for her was too strong. So for once, with a smile, he let himself think of her, and dream of a future where he could call her his own. He could be a stronger man tomorrow.


End file.
